House of Commons to hold emergency debate on Kinder Morgan

House of Commons MPs are going to spend their Monday night locked in an emergency debate on Kinder Morgan.

The Commons passed a motion from Conservative natural resources critic Shannon Stubbs to urgently debate the future of the fumbling pipeline project.

“Representatives of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, CEOs of major Canadian banks and investment management portfolios warn this situation is a ‘crisis’, and the impacts extend well beyond the pipeline itself, to confidence in Canada overall,” Stubbs said.

It came on the heels of a very tense Question Period, where Conservative, NDP and Bloc Québécois MPs all hammered the government with roughly half an hour of questions on the Kinder Morgan pipeline project Monday – the first Question Period back after a two-week break.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Parliamentary Leader Guy Caron led the string of questions about the government’s handling of the floundering pipeline project — although the two parties decried the government’s approach from very different directions.

During Monday’s back-and-forth between the government and other parties, the entire first half hour was made up of questions about the government’s actions to date on the pipeline — aside from two questions from Andrew Scheer about National Security Advisory Daniel Jean.

Conservative MPs criticized the government for moving too slowly on the pipeline approval process while NDP MPs called for increased consultation and Indigenous involvement.

Scheer kicked off the combative questioning with concerns about the timeline of the project, asking why “the Trans Mountain project had to become a crisis before the Prime Minister finally took action.” In response, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr listed actions the government has taken to approve various energy projects, such as the Line 3 replacement.

Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs, also decrying the government’s approach, asked when the pipeline will be built. Carr responded that the government “approved this (pipeline) in the national interest.”

The NDP raised different concerns.

Caron asked the government to partner with B.C., First Nations and Alberta to “seek greater clarification from the Supreme Court of Canada” while NDP MP Charlie Angus touched on Indigenous concerns.

Carr told Angus that “major projects such as this are, by their very nature, controversial.” He said that they “divide communities” and highlighted the division between the B.C. and Alberta NDP governments.

The string of questioning lasted until roughly 2:50 p.m., when a Liberal MP stood up to ask about seniors. Question Period generally starts shortly after 2:15 p.m.

The Bloc Québécois also asked a question on the issue at the tail end of Question Period, siding with B.C. on the issue of provincial jurisdiction and raising alarm at the government citing “national interest” as the underlying reason for the project’s approval.

The questioning comes on the heels of a busy week for the Kinder Morgan pipeline project, which would extend an existing pipeline to the B.C. coast.

As a direct result of the B.C. government’s opposition to the project, Kinder Morgan announced a little over a week ago that it would suspend any non-essential spending on the pipeline. Tensions flamed between B.C. Premier John Horgan, who opposes the project, and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, who supports it, culminating in an Ottawa meeting Sunday between Horgan, Notley and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

After the meeting, Trudeau announced that he has instructed Finance Minister Bill Morneau to begin “formal financial discussions” with Kinder Morgan. He also said the government will be “actively pursuing” legislative options to “assert” and “reinforce” the federal government’s jurisdiction over the pipeline.

The clock is ticking for the government to move on Kinder Morgan. The company has given the feds until May 31 to solve the pipeline dispute.